


Queen of the Barrel

by SparkleDragons



Series: Grishaverse TAZ AU [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: grishaverse au, it's mostly just a short prequel i wrote a wile back and figured i'd post publicly, language barriers, tbh idk what to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 08:14:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13994196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkleDragons/pseuds/SparkleDragons
Summary: Rowena Quinn’s greatest pride was her business and the jewel of that business was The Stockade, the best damn gambling parlor in Ketterdam. The pigeons loved the dark ensemble that stood out against the garish flash of the West Staves and flocked to it in droves. They left with their pockets emptier than before. She’d molded this gang from the ground up, using her skill to build a following and her mind to build an empire. She was the self-proclaimed queen of the Barrel, nothing went without her notice. Especially not a pair of thieving Ravkan twins that just got caught trying to pinch a priceless painting off one of the most powerful merchants in Kerch.





	Queen of the Barrel

**Author's Note:**

> Idk how understandable this is without reading part one but I know it won't fit in the original storyline quite right so here it is here. I'm in the process of working on Blackened Streets and it should be done by Monday fingered crossed. Hopefully this'll tied anyone who cares about this thing over. ^^;

Rowena Quinn’s greatest pride was her business and the jewel of that business was The Stockade, the best damn gambling parlor in Ketterdam. The pigeons loved the dark ensemble that stood out against the garish flash of the West Staves and flocked to it in droves. They left with their pockets emptier than before. She’d molded this gang from the ground up, using her skill to build a following and her mind to build an empire. She was the self-proclaimed queen of the Barrel, nothing went without her notice. Especially not a pair of thieving Ravkan twins that just got caught trying to pinch a priceless painting off one of the most powerful merchants in Kerch.

 

Their case was especially fascinating to her. She’d been watching them since they’d first appeared in the West Staves with sticky fingers ready to take advantage of tourists’ empathy for homeless children. They were flashy and yet always disappeared into the shadows before her curiosity could be fully sated. The only reason they got caught from what she gathered was poor luck of having one of the Merch’s indentures wake up for some water while they were in the house.

 

She thought it would be nice to pay them a visit, perhaps give them an offer. Rowena could tell a lot about a person by talking to them. Perhaps they might impress her.

 

~~~~~

 

Getting in wasn’t a problem, Rowena had dirt on nearly ever authority figure in the city. A simple mention of the head stadwatch’s ongoing affair while his wife sat heavily pregnant at home was all it took to get full access to the cells with backs turned. She could kill someone here and walk away without a scratch. She had before.

 

The jail was dingy and smelled like old urine and mold. It reminded Rowena of the most rotten parts of the Barrel and she forced her nose not to wrinkle. She kept her hands clasped firmly in front of her, a picture of poise. Her gun remained strapped to her thigh, she had only to reach through the slit in her silken black dress to retrieve it.

 

She wore black. It made the harsh Kerch paleness of her skin shine like a light against the gray backdrop of the city. Her raven-black hair melted into the dress like a hood. 

 

The cells were largely empty. This area of the prison was only a holding section for criminals awaiting trial. She wondered how long the twins would have to wait before having a chance at defense if she left them here. Ketterdam courts were slow, preferring to let the canal rats rot for a bit.

 

As her heels clicked down the halls of the prison she heard whispering. Two hushed voices were muttering in Ravkan before cutting off. The third voice to pipe up made her stop.

 

“The Queen of the Barrel,” the came from around the corner, even and unimpressed. “I’d recognize the sound of those ridiculous heels on stone any day.”

 

“Ahhh, Istus,” Rowena cooed as she rounded the corner. “What business?” It was a common greeting in Ketterdam, but her tone was laced with challenge.

 

She liked Istus, she really did. The boss of the Golden Fates was beautiful, a rarity in the world of the Barrel. She was also competition, just as eager to snag control over Ketterdam as Rowena herself, but she was no queen.

 

Istus was standing in front of one of the only occupied cells, her vibrant dress marked a point of beauty in an otherwise loathsome scene. The twins stood in the cell, arms crossed and regarding Rowena’s presence with nervous interest. They looked dirty and hungry and shivered with cold. She felt sorry for them, but if she was going to help them they’d have to help her and she’d have to keep Istus out of it.

 

“These two barely speak Kerch, Rowena, they’d do much better with coins on their arms then ravens.”

 

Istus turned back to the children in the cell.  _ So young _ , Rowena thought.  _ Younger than I was when I started _ .

 

“ _ E’ya Istus, detkhü _ ,” she said in Ravkan. Rowena cursed herself for not knowing the language. Had they been Shu-han she may have had a better chance. They wouldn’t trust her if they couldn’t understand her.

 

“ _ Ne khii duuzov bas, detkhü _ ,” the boy snapped back. The girl simply glared daggers at the both of them, her multi-colored gaze darting with distrust between them.  _ Grisha _ , Rowena thought.  _ Witch eyes _ .

 

These two could be extremely valuable to the Death Ravens and the best she could do was try to formulate a future where their arms bore the symbol of a raven perched on a skull.

 

“I am Rowena Quinn,” she addressed them. Their attention whipped in her direction, two sets of mismatched eyes gauging her every move. “I’m here to offer you a deal.” She spoke slow enough that they would hopefully understand her intentions, but not so sluggish that it seemed she was looking down on their intelligence.

 

The two stared at her and whispered in hurried Ravkan for a moment before turning back to look at Rowena.

 

“You… give… err… deal?” The boy says hesitantly, accent thick and uncertain.

 

“What… uh,” the girl looked to her brother for a moment. Her lips were pressed thin in thought and she turned quizzically back to Rowena and said, “D-deal?” The word was pulled long across her tongue, as if she was testing out the sound.

 

“A job,” Rowena pitched in, hoping to get the point across more accurately. She glanced up to see Istus smiling at her in little-hidden amusement.

 

Thankfully understanding seemed to flash across the twin’s faces and they immediately began whispering to each other again, periodically glancing between Istus and Rowena as they spoke. 

 

Eventually the girl looked to Istus and said, “ _ Khelk Rowena Qu- _ “ the boy nudged her and whispered something in her ear. “ _ Uuchlati _ ,” she seemed to correct worriedly in Rowena’s direction, “ _ Khelk, Moya Tsaritsa… _ ” Istus snickered and interrupted the girl with Ravkan words too quick for Rowena to follow. The two kids just looked more and more confused.

 

The boy seemed to inch away from Rowena, hand clasped firmly in the girl’s hand. He whispered something to her and she laughed.

 

The girl pointed to herself and then her brother and said, “Lup. Taako.”

 

Rowena kicked herself for not asking their names before trying to talk about contracts.

 

“ _ Tiimk _ ?” Istus said to the twins in a questioning tone and once again they turned away to whisper between themselves.

 

After what felt like a long time of listening to them speak in hushed words she couldn’t hope to parse even if she could fully hear them they looked back to Istus and nodded. A kind smile crossed her face and Rowena knew she had lost.

 

“Go back to your throne, Queen of Ravens. They’re mine,” Istus said, turning her gaze to Rowena. It wasn’t unkind, but it was far from a pleasant suggestion. Rowena bristled at being ordered but she didn’t need to start a fight over this.

 

“Enjoy your spoils, Istus,” Rowena said as farewell and turned to leave.  _ They’re only children _ , she told herself.  _ It’s not a large loss _ . The itch in the back of her mind told her she was wrong.

**Author's Note:**

> Translation of what they're saying in Ravkan (which is really just very very butchered russian according to google translate)
> 
> Istus: "I am Istus, children"
> 
> Taako: "do not call us children"
> 
> Taako: "Tell, Rowena Quinn"
> 
> Taako: "Sorry!"
> 
> Taako: "Tell, (ravkan word for, like a queen sorta?)"
> 
> Istus: "So..?"


End file.
